A Saudi forum for innovation and development bagan on Sunday to create a “sustainable environment” for a thriving exhibitions and conferences industry.
The two-day MICE Forum is organized by the Saudi Exhibitions and Conferences Association in partnership with the Saudi Conventions and Exhibitions General Authority.
More than 40 local and international specialists are participating in MICE, which stands for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions. It also includes an exhibition of event organizers, advertising and PR companies, decoration firms, hotels, caterers and travel and tourism companies, among others.
Amjad Shacker, the acting CEO of the conferences association, said: “The MICE industry is a catalyst for the local economy and all other industries. It is also a sector in which large numbers of specialists meet, exchange experiences, and sign contracts and agreements that help promote the local economy.”
Participants discussed ways to enhance and develop the sector’s capabilities to attract international exhibitions and conferences, highlighting the most important challenges that impede the sector’s sustainability and growth.
The forum will focus on the opportunities provided by the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 to develop the industry.
It will discuss several main themes, including shaping the future of the industry, its economic impact, and new innovations.
Zuhair Al-Sarraj, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Exhibition and Conferences Association, said that the MICE Forum will develop the industry, strengthen cooperation with international bodies, and develop a sustainable infrastructure of regulations and legislation for the industry.
“It is important to train and develop professionals in this industry through capacity building initiatives, obtaining international certificates, guiding small projects and new investors, and building a strong infrastructure to match industry developments with regard to the transition to the private sector, fair pricing of events venues, increasing their number, and setting standards for their evaluation,” Al-Sarraj said.
Mohamed Al-Ghonyim, director of public relations at the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing, said: “The exhibitions and conferences sector is one of the important business sectors, as it is based on the event industry that attracts people, who gather and communicate in one place and at a specific time to view services, products or ideas within the framework of marketing awareness.”
MICE is supported by many international organizations, including the International Congress and Convention Association, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events, and the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry.